Spartanburg is all about the arts, or at least we are trying to be. I mean you can’t spell Spartanburg without a-r-t. With more than 2,000 cultural points in Spartanburg, 50 being galleries, there is no reason why everyone in Spartanburg should not participate in at least one ArtWalk.… Read More »

About This Blog

Volunteer, verb – To choose to act in recognition of a need, with an attitude of social responsibility and without concern for profit or gain., going beyond one’s basic obligations.

But it is not enough to only consider the verb form. Add the noun form, too – and from two perspectives:

Volunteer, noun – from the perspective of the doer: Someone who gives time, effort and talent to a need or cause without profiting

Volunteers gather for a group shot in the theater lobby.

I hate to disagree with Mr. Webster, but this definition of “volunteer” has a serious flaw: “without profiting.” If you are a “successful” volunteer, you will find innumerable personal gains. Note that I said “successful” volunteer: many people wish to volunteer — and there are certainly numerous opportunities with the many non-profits in Spartanburg. (Non-profits by their very name indicate a basic need for freely given citizen support in order to carry out their mission, no matter what that might be.) If you are considering volunteering, check out the options available… find that organization that fits both your skills and interests. You may have to try out a few to find the right fit. For example, I found out in a short two days that I would be an abysmal teacher of English as a second language. But I have found my niche. I am a volunteer at Chapman Cultural Center.

I am at Chapman eight hours a week, usually at the reception desk but also ushering and proofing the press releases of Chapman’s marketing director, Steve Wong. He in fact once called me a “grammar Nazi.” (Of course this blog is giving him the opportunity for revenge.) I am a Spartanburg native and thought I had a pretty good sense of the arts in Spartanburg: I was wrong. Chapman houses Spartanburg Art Museum, Artists’ Guild of Spartanburg Gallery, Ballet Spartanburg, Spartanburg Philharmonic Orchestra, The Little Theatre and Youth Theatre, Spartanburg Science Center, and Spartanburg Regional History Museum. This is a powerful package and a lot of talent housed in the three buildings on Saint John Street. It also creates a need for volunteers in many areas. Being primarily at the reception desk, means I am kept up-to-date on what is going on in each of these organizations. (To clarify, each is an independent organization, assisted by The Arts Partnership of Greater Spartanburg, which operates Chapman Cultural Center.) And what is going on is often amazing.

Kay Vipperman, this post’s author, poses for a photo at Volunteer Appreciation 2015.

Last year’s (2014) production of “The Civil War” by The Little Theatre was one of the most moving theatre experiences I have ever had. Ushers were volunteering for multiple shows in order to experience it again. The talent in Spartanburg is amazing — not only performers but also those who work behind the scenes. I am something of a balletomane — or ballet nut, as my friends call me — I am so proud that Spartanburg now has a professional ballet company. There are now four young male graduates of the Spartanburg Ballet School who are dancing professionally. This is extraordinary for a ballet company in a small city like Spartanburg. I never miss ushering all performances. I still want to look in on one of the toddler ballet classes.

Thinking of the toddler class brings me to one of the things I did not know about Chapman: that it is a strong and dedicated educational organization. Tied to this is an unshakable dedication to meaningful growth in Spartanburg. There are classes for all age and skill levels and outreach to local school through visiting artists and “school shows” of productions of the Youth Theatre.

So all of the above are a partial explanation of why Chapman is my niche volunteer site. Partial because the most enjoyable part of my volunteer effort is the people I get to talk with — staff, artists and visitors. My conversations in the past few weeks have included a brief discussion of rugby, insight into the life in Transylvania, and the discovering that a local watercolor artist had taught art in Dubai. It is the unexpectedness of who may walk in today that makes volunteering at Chapman such a pleasure.

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Kay Vipperman is one of 175 volunteers at Chapman Cultural Center. This past fiscal year, she donated 420 hours of her time to the arts in Spartanburg. If you are interested in being a volunteer at Chapman, please call (864) 542-ARTS.